Formalistic Approach

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Transcript of Formalistic Approach

Formalistic ApproachWhat is Formalistic Approach Formalistic CriticismActivity Formalism Also known as New Criticism.-Developed in the early 20th Century and was the primary approach to literature until the 1970s.Characteristics The object of formalistic criticism is to find the key to the structure and meaning of the literary work.We search for form which is necessary for real understanding.Formalistic Examples

Tone: attitude of the author toward the reader, audience, or subject-Diction: particular words chosen for use in a work-Structure: the framework of a work of literature-Imagery: sensory language appealing to sight, sound, smell, taste, touch First step in explaining the literary work is to discover what the words actually mean in their full denotative and connotative value.A formalist does not look at the who, what, when, where or why…They look at the how.

Adriana González SanchoLee Yu-Ching The main goal of Formalism is to classify, categorize, and catalog works according to their formal attributes.-Analyzes the text to see how the meaning is delivered with the different elements of workFormalistic Approach is A critical approach that analyzes, interprets, or evaluates the inherent features of a text. These features include not only grammar and syntax but also literary devices such as meter and tropes.The Formalistic has the advantage of forcing writers to evaluate a work on its own terms rather than to accepted notions of the writer's work.Work best when apply to poetry and short storiesInforms or shapes the work inwardly and gives its parts a relevance to the whole.Suggest that the reader see what is in the poem,novel or play rather than consider what is outside it.It focus on imagery tone-Personification: the attribution of human characteristics to something nonhuman-Motif: unifying element in an artistic work, such as an image, symbol, character type, action, idea, object, or phraseYoung Goodman Brown

In Nathaniel Hawthorne's Young Goodman Brown, there are numerous formalistic approach concepts.

This method to reading, which is one of the most common, has three main points: symbolism, allegory, and allusion.

What is the meaning behind the pink ribbons?Are they emblematic of love, of innocence, of good?Conversely, do they suggest evil or hypocrisy, or the ambiguous and puzzling blend of good and evil?

Faith vs. faithDoes Goodman Brown lose Faith or faith?

Allegory in Young Goodman BrownThe story Young Goodman is allegorical, meaning that the characters and objects in the story represent abstract ideas.

Allegory and faithIf the tale is allegorical, for example, it may be that Goodman Brown gained his faith three months before the action of the story, when he and Faith were married. The allegory may further suggest that Goodman Brown shortly loses his new faith, for ―he shrank from the bosom of Faith

Symbolism -FaithGoodman Brown's wife, Faith, symbolizes Brown's spiritual faith. When he sees her in the forest at the witches' sabbath, he realizes he is in danger of losing not only his wife but also his spiritual faith.

Allusions within Young Goodman BrownGoodman: Husband or master of a household.Lecture-Day(Paragraph 21): Weekday on which a sermon was given.Wolf's Bane(Paragraph 32): Wolfsbane, a poisonous plant.One characteristic we must look at when analyzing Young Goodman Brown is form; the structure or style of a text.

FormA short story like YGB, as opposed to a long novel, is structured in such a way that there are a few not able characters and only one major situation.

As a result, a short story like YGB reaches its climax and solution and thus quickly comes to an end.

Logical StructureThe logical structure of this story is a young man that has a wife, who ironically is named Faith, goes out one night on a journey. His wife begs him not to go but he does anyway. On his journey he encounters the devil, and because of this devil he loses his wife Faith, and his own faith. When he comes back from his journey he is a changed man for the worst, in a sense that he treats everyone as a sinner, and forever treats people with disgust.